12-25-1944, 2nd volume, no. 60, Page 7
12-25-1944, 2nd volume, no. 60, Page 8
12-25-1944, 2nd volume, no. 60, Page 9

cover / introduction table of contents

Christmas 1944

Peace on earth and benevolence
to all men
That is what we would wish for
For already two thousand years it has been preached
See how the world sins against it
In spite of prayers and in spite of commandments
One sees how people kill each other today,

Evil still reigns and cruelty still reigns
The dream of peace found no fulfillment
Once upon a time, as they say, the Savior was born
In spite of this fact, mankind seems lost
There is no peace, but war on earth
Never has the world witnessed such cruelty

Instead of bells, sirens wail
Night triumphs over humanity in bondage
Above the songs and above the psalms
One hears the clash of weapons echoing
Bells have long since been cast into cannons
Freedom and justice have been banned and violated

Injustice and brutal rape rule
And only violence wants to triumph today
And for the cruisers, tanks, and bombs
The song of peace must be silenced
Despite these times, I do still believe:
Earth, you will survive these times
Mankind, one day, you will come to insight and reason
Then, the time of eternal peace will come

Post-Editing: Marion Frankenhuis